Destination Pluto: NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures

Target: Pluto

NASA's New Horizons probe has visited a place never before visited by a robotic probe from Earth: Pluto. In July 2015, the spacecraft completed a nearly-decade-long journey to fly by Pluto, and reveal humanity's first close-up look at the distant dwarf planet. See photos and images from the New Horizons mission to Pluto in this gallery.

Charon Seen by 'Plutoshine'

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This image by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft shows the night side of Pluto’s biggest moon, Charon, against a star field, lit by faint reflected light from Pluto itself. The bright crescent on Charon's right side is a sliver of sunlit terrain; it is overexposed. New Horizons was about 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) beyond Pluto when it took the image on July 15, 2015.

Global Color Map of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This new, detailed global color map of Pluto is based on a series of three color filter images obtained by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera aboard New Horizons during the NASA spacecraft’s close flyby of Pluto in July 2015.

Halos on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Strange "haloed" craters can be seen on Pluto in these images of the dwarf planet from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. Read the Full Story.

Methane Snow on Pluto's Mountains

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

View of part of Pluto’s dark Cthulu region, captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015. The inset at left shows bright material coating the tops of Cthulu’s reddish mountains; the inset at right shows the distribution of methane ice in the area (light purple).

False-color Image of Pluto

See photos and images from the New Horizons mission to Pluto in this gallery.

Sputnik Planum Western Region

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This snapshot captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft shows the western region of the heart-shaped area informally known as Sputnik Planum, which has been found to be rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ices. The image combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC).

Sputnik Planum on Pluto and Vulcan Planum on Charon

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The informally named Sputnik Planum on Pluto (top) and the informally named Vulcan Planum on Pluto's largest moon Charon (bottom).

Haze Above Pluto's Surface

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI/Gladstone et al./Science (2016)

Layers of atmospheric haze above Pluto's surface are captured in this haunting image taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

Pluto's North Pole Canyons

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The frozen canyons of Pluto's north pole are represented in enhanced colors in this image taken from the New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015. The surrounding terrain shows higher elevations in yellow and lower elevations in shades of blue-gray.

Pluto's North Pole Canyons Annotated

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Pluto's north pole canyons annotated.

Pluto Four Moons Closeup

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

These close views of Pluto's four smaller moons were captured by NASA's New Horizons probe during its historic July 2015 flyby. Data from New Horizons suggests that at least two (and maybe even all four) were born from mergers of even smaller moons.

Pluto Crater Counts

By counting craters across Pluto, scientists determined that some regions of the dwarf planet are as young as 10 million years old while others are nearly as old as the 4.5-billion-year-old solar system.

Back-lit, Blue-skied Pluto

Credit: NASA/New Horizons Team

Back-lit, blue-skied Pluto is still a planet in the heart, though not in official registers.

Snakeskin Ridges on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

Snakeskin ridges on Pluto may have been shaped by surface winds, one way Pluto's atmosphere could have contributed to the dwarf planet's unusual features.

Sunset View of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, capturing this near-sunset view of the dwarf planet’s icy mountains and flat ice plains. The image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) from Pluto; the scene is 780 miles (1,250 km) wide.

New Horizons' Zoomed-in Sunset View of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

A zoomed-in view of a photo NASA’s New Horizons probe took on July 14, 2015, when it was just 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) from Pluto. The near-sunset scene, which is 230 miles (380 km) across, shows rugged ice mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high and wide, flat plains.

Fog on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The setting sun illuminates fog or near-surface haze on Pluto in this small section of an image taken by NASA’s New Horizons probe on July 14, 2015, when it was 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) from the dwarf planet. The image covers a stretch of land 115 miles (185 km) wide.

Vast Ice Plains in Pluto's Heart

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This image, a composite of several photos taken by NASA’s New Horizons probe, shows a vast Pluto ice plain called Sputnik Planum. The box shows the location of other detailed glacier images.

Flowing Ice on Pluto's Plains

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This New Horizons image shows how ice (probably frozen nitrogen) is flowing from Pluto’s mountains through valleys (outlined by red arrows) onto the plains known as Sputnik Planum; the “flow front” there is outlined by blue arrows in this photo, which covers an area 390 miles (630-kilometer) wide.

Flowing Ice on Pluto's Plains (2)

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

A backlit, oblique view of a New Horizons image showing how ice (probably frozen nitrogen) is flowing from Pluto’s mountains through valleys (outlined by red arrows) onto the plains known as Sputnik Planum; the “flow front” there is outlined by blue arrows in this photo, which covers an area 390 miles (630-kilometer) wide.

Perpective View of Pluto

A perspective view of Pluto, based on the latest high-resolution images downlinked from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, gives the impression of looking down from a height of approximately 1,100 miles (1,800 km) above Pluto. Image released Sept. 10, 2015.

Mosaic of Sputnik Planum on Pluto

This mosaic, made of high-resolution images of Pluto sent back from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft from Sept. 5 to 7, 2015, shows the icy plain Sputnik Planum (informal name), the bright region across the center.

Informal Names for Features on Pluto’s Sputnik Planum

Image showing the informal names being used by the New Horizons team for features on the icy Pluto plains known as Sputnik Planum. These monikers have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Informal Names for Features on Pluto’s Moon Charon

Image showing the provisional names being used by the New Horizons team for features on Pluto’s largest moon, Charon. These monikers have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Global Map of Pluto (Without Grid)

The science team of NASA’s New Horizons mission produced an updated global map of dwarf planet Pluto. Image released July 27, 2015.

Global Mosaic of Pluto Shown in True Color

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) combine with color data from the Ralph instrument to create this sharper global view of Pluto. The spacecraft obtained the images at a distance of 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers). Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto's Flowing Ices

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

New Horizons space probe discovered flowing ices in Pluto’s heart-shaped feature, as shown by the swirling patterns. Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto's Hazy Atmosphere

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Pluto’s atmosphere around the planet in this image taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 15, 2015, from a distance of about 1.25 million miles (2 million kilometers). Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto and Charon Shown in Natural Color

Credit: NASA/JUAPL/SwRI

Pluto and Charon appear in a composite of natural-color images obtained by New Horizons space probe on July 13 and 14, 2015. Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto in False Color

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This view of Pluto and its icy heart is actually a false color image that combines color data and image data from two different instruments to create a view that highlights the subtle differences in terrain on the dwarf planet. This image was released on July 23, 2015. Read the full story here.

Frozen Plains of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

NASA's New Horizons space probe obtained this image of the frozen plains of Pluto, released during a press briefing held on July 17, 2015, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. [See our complete coverage.]

Sputnik Planum and Norgay Montes on Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

NASA's New Horizons space probe obtained this image of the Sputnik Planum and Norgay Montes regions of Pluto, released during a press briefing held on July 17, 2015, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. [See our complete coverage.]

Pluto Moons Nix and Hydra, Seen by New Horizons

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

NASA’s New Horizons probe captured these images of the Pluto moons Nix (left) and Hydra (right) on July 14, 2015. The Nix photo was taken from a distance of 102,000 miles (165,000 kilometers), while the Hydra image was snapped from 143,000 miles (231,000 km) away.

First Well-Resolved Image of Nix

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

NASA's New Horizons space probe obtained the first well-resolved image of Nix, Pluto's moon, released during a press briefing held on July 17, 2015, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. [See our complete coverage.]

Frozen Carbon Monoxide on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

New Horizons’ Ralph instrument revealed evidence of carbon monoxide ice on Pluto, in the western part of the region known presently as Tombaugh Regio (Tombaugh Region), the highly visible "heart of Pluto." The contours overlain on the image show that the concentration of frozen carbon monoxide increases towards the center of the “bull’s eye.” The data was acquired by the spacecraft on July 14, 2015, and transmitted to Earth on July 16. [See our complete coverage.]

Pluto's Escaping Atmosphere

Credit: NASA/APL/SwRI

This diagram depicts the interaction of the solar wind (the supersonic outflow of electrically charged particles from the sun) with Pluto’s mainly nitrogen atmosphere. Some of the atmosphere's molecules possess enough energy to overcome Pluto’s weak gravity and escape into space. Image released July 17, 2015. [See our complete coverage.]

Charon Close-Up, July 16, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SwR

NASA's New Horizons space probe found a strange feature on Pluto's moon, Charon, a depression with a peak in the middle. The image was taken on July 14, 2015 at a range of 49,000 miles (79,000 km). [Read full story.]

New Horizons Closest View of Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

New Horizons space probe provides the highest resolution image of Pluto ever seen as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. This region near Pluto’s equator surprisingly contains a range of youthful mountains rising to heights of 11,000 feet (3,500 m) above the surface. [See a video of the flyby.]

New Horizons Close View of Charon

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

New Horizons provides unprecedented details of Pluto's moon, Charon, as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. [See a video of the flyby.]

Methane on Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

New Horizons' Ralph instrument using the LEISA spectrometer obtained information about the distribution of methane on Pluto, as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. [See a video of the flyby.]

Hydra Revealed

Credit: NASA TV

For the first time, New Horizons revealed the shape and size of Pluto's moon, Hydra, as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. [See a video of the flyby.]

Artist's Concept of New Horizons at Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHU APL/SwRI/Steve Gribben

An artist's illustration of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto. Pluto's largest moon, Charon, hovers in the background.

July 13, 2015, New Horizons Image of Pluto

Credit: NASA/APL/SwRI

The New Horizons probe captured a sneak peak of gorgeous Pluto! According to the New Horizons social media team, this is the last and most detailed image of Pluto sent to Earth before the moment of closest approach - 7:49 a.m. EDT on July 14. Read the Full Story.

New Horizons Flight Controllers Celebrate

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Flight controllers of New Horizons space probe react with jubilation after receiving confirmation that it had completed the historic flyby of Pluto successfully on July 14, 2015,

New Horizons Pluto Flyby Success Confirmed

Credit: NASA TV

New Horizons mission operations manager Alice Bowman (right) announces that the spacecraft survived its epic Pluto flyby on July 14, 2015, and is in good shape.

PLUTO: NOTYET EXPLORED

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern (left) and other researchers hold a print of a "corrected" U.S. stamp at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. The New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto, July 14, 2015.

New Horizons Closest Approach to Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, over 1000 people gathered for New Horizons' historic flyby of Pluto on July 14, 2015. Principal Investigator Alan Stern faces the camera just left of center (partially obscured).

Stern Interviewed Following New Horizons Pluto Flyby

Credit: NASA TV

At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern (center) is interviewed only moments after the Pluto probe made its historic flyby of the mysterious planet on July 14, 2015.

New Horizons Press Conference

Credit: NASA TV

At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, a press conference was held after the New Horizons Pluto probe made its historic flyby on July 14, 2015.

Pluto Seen by New Horizons, July 11, 2015 (Annotated)

Annotated version of the Pluto photo taken by New Horizons on July 11, 2015, showing linear features that may be cliffs, as well as a large circular feature that could be an impact crater.

Pluto and Charon compared to Earth

Credit: NASA

Graphic showing how Pluto and Charon would appear if placed slightly above Earth's surface and viewed from a great distance. Recent measurements by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft reveal indicate that Pluto has a diameter of 2370 kilometers, 18.5 percent that of Earth, while Charon has a diameter of 1208 km, 9.5 percent that of Earth.

Charon's Craters and Chasms

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

This photo of Charon, taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 11, 2015, highlights the big Pluto moon’s intriguing dark polar cap and shows probable craters and canyons as well.

New Horizons Spacecraft Flying by Pluto

An artist's depiction of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flying by Pluto. A fleet of NASA probes across the solar system will track the encounter on July 14, 2015.

Pluto and Charon in Color, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

This image of Pluto (right) and Charon, taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 8, 2015, combines a view captured by the probe’s long-range camera with color information obtained earlier in the mission from the Ralph instrument.

Heart-Shaped Area on Pluto

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New Horizons took this image on July 7, 2015, at a distance of just under 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) from Pluto. A large heart-shaped bright area appears at right. [Read full story.]

Pluto and Charon, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New Horizons captured Pluto and Charon from a distance of about 3.7 million miles (6 million kilometers) on July 8, 2015.

Pluto, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) captured Pluto on July 8, 2015. The bright edge below the dark “whale” is real, not the result of image processing.

Charon, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

This image of Charon was obtained by New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 8, 2015.

Color Image of Pluto by New Horizons

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

The image shows Pluto in color, obtained by New Horizons spacecraft on July 3, 2015, using color data gathered earlier. [Read the full story.]

Map of Pluto

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

This map of Pluto was created from images taken from June 27 – July 3, 2015, by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons spacecraft, incorporating lower-resolution color data from the spacecraft’s Ralph instrument. [Read full story.]

Surface Features Emerging on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

Pluto and its largest moon Charon, as photographed by New Horizons on July 1, 2015. The inset shows Pluto enlarged; features as small as 100 miles (160 kilometers) across are visible.

Styx's Tommy Shaw and Styx Moon

New Horizons Mssion Team and Styx

Styx poses with members of the New Horizons mission team, who greeted the band at the Kossiakoff Center Auditorium, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Maryland.

Styx Band Members and Showalter

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Styx band members share laughs with the scientist who discovered Styx, a moon of Pluto. Left to right: Lawrence Gowan, Tommy Shaw, New Horizons' Mark Showalter, and Todd Sucherman

Styx and Stern

Credit: Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Styx and Stern: Styx band members are intrigued by the latest images of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons. Left to right: Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, Tommy Shaw, New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern.

Pluto and Charon on Jan. 25, 2015

Pluto and Charon, the largest of Pluto's five known moons, were seen Jan. 25, 2015, by the telescopic Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

Pluto and Charon in Color

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Southwest Research Institute

This color view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, was captured by NASA's approaching New Horizons spacecraft. The image is a still from a six-frame movie composed of photos New Horizons took between June 23 and June 29, 2015.

Mysterious Dark Spots on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

New Horizons scientists are puzzled by a series of evenly space dark splotches the spacecraft has spotted on Pluto.

Pluto's Mysterious Dark Spots

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

New color images from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft show two very different faces of Pluto, one with a series of mysterious evenly spaced dark spots along the equator.

Pluto's Moons: Hazard Search Images

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

These images show the difference between two sets of 48 combined 10-second exposures with New Horizons' long-range camera, taken at on June 26, 2015, from a range of 21.5 million kilometers to Pluto. The known small moons, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx, are visible as adjacent bright and dark pairs of dots, due to their motion in the 105 minutes between the two image sets.

New Horizons' Image of Pluto Deconvolved

This view of Pluto, taken by NASA's New Horizons probe in late May 2015, begins to reveal surface details in the dwarf planet. Read the Full Story

Pluto's Moons: Size and Brightness

Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Field (STScI)

This illustration shows the scale and comparative brightness of Pluto’s four tiny moons, as observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope from 2005 through 2012. Pluto’s binary companion, Charon (discovered in 1978) is placed at the bottom for scale. The textures seen here are purely for illustration purposes.

Surface of Pluto

Credit: NASA/Southwest Research Institute/Alex Parker

This artist's impression depicts Pluto's surface. The sun appears roughly 1,000 times fainter than it does on to us on Earth. Pluto's moon Charon hangs in the sky. Image released June 8, 2015.

Full Portrait of Pluto and Charon

The full portrait of Pluto and and its largest moon Charon, taken by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) instrument on board New Horizons, and released on June 29.

Pluto’s Moon Nix Chaotic Spin

Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Inst.), G. Bacon (STScI)

These illustrations of Pluto’s moon Nix show how the orientation of the moon changes unpredictably while it orbits the Pluto-Charon system.

#DearPluto by Parker

Credit: Janet's Planet/#DearPluto

A "Dear Pluto" letter submitted by a child named Parker.

New Horizons LORRI Images of Pluto April 15 and May 10, 2015

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

This image taken on May 10, 2015, shows Pluto in the latest series of New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photos, compared to a LORRI image taken on April 15.

New Horizons Captures all 5 of Pluto's Known Moons

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft captured these views of Pluto and its moons on April 25, 2015.

New Horizons LORRI Images of Pluto April 12 and May 8, 2015

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

This image taken on May 8, 2015, shows Pluto in the latest series of New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photos, compared to a LORRI image taken on April 12.

New Horizons LORRI Images of Pluto April 16 and May 12, 2015

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

This image taken on May 12, 2015, shows Pluto in the latest series of New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photos, compared to a LORRI image taken on April 16.

Pluto and Charon Captured by New Horizons Probe

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft snapped this photo of Pluto (center) and its largest moon Charon on April 15, 2015. The image, which hints at surface features, is one of several views captured over several days from a range of between 69 million miles (111 million kilometers) to 64 million miles (103 million km).

Pluto and Charon Seen by New Horizons

New Horizons LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) composite image showing the detection of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, cleanly separated from Pluto itself. The frame on the left is an average of six different LORRI images, each taken with an exposure time of 0.1 second. The frame to the right is the same composite image but with Pluto and Charon circled; Pluto is the brighter object near the center and Charon is the fainter object near its 11 o’clock position. Images released July 10, 2013. [Read the Full Story]

Pluto-bound Spacecraft Spots Its Target

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI.

A white arrow marks Pluto in this New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) picture taken Sept. 21, 2006, marking the spacecraft's first look at its target planet.

New Horizons Passing Uranus

Credit: NASA, JHU/APL

An overhead view of the New Horizons spacecraft's path across Uranus' orbit.

Best Color Image of Jupiter's Little Red Spot

This amazing color portrait of Jupiter’s “Little Red Spot” (LRS) combines high-resolution images from the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken at 03:12 UT on February 27, 2007, with color images taken nearly simultaneously by the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Proposed New Horizons Stamp

Credit: NASA/SWRI/Dan Durda

Artist Dan Durda's concept for a U.S. postage stamp honoring the New Horizons mission to Pluto. The probe's team has launched an online petition to make the stamp a reality

NASA's New Horizons Spacecraft Sees Jupiter and Io

Credit: NASA/JHU/APL.

NASA's New Horizons snapped this view of Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io in early January 2007.

Jupiter's Moons: Family Portrait

This montage shows the best views of Jupiter's four large and diverse "Galilean" satellites as seen by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on the New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby of Jupiter in late February 2007. The image was released in May 1, 2007.

Io in Eclipse 2

This image of Io eclipsed by Jupiter's shadow is a combination of several images taken by the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) about 28 hours after the spacecraft's closest approach to Jupiter. The image was released on May 1, 2007.

Pluto-bound Probe Snaps Photo of Jupiter

The first picture of the Jupiter from the New Horizon spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken Sept. 4, 2006, is a tantalizing promise of what's to come when New Horizons flies through the Jupiter system early next year.

Pluto-bound Probe Snaps First Photo

On Aug. 29, 2006, the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) opened its launch cover door and took its first image in space, of Messier 7, a star cluster in our Milky Way galaxy. The image shows the center of Messier 7, which was catalogued by Charles Messier in 1764, and described by Ptolemy around 130 A.D. Stars to at least 12th magnitude are clearly visible, meaning LORRI's sensitivity and noise levels in space are consistent with its pre-launch calibrations on the ground. Directionally, north is at the top of the images, east is to the left.

New Horizons: Outbound For Jupiter Flyby

KBO: Artist's impression of the New Horizons spacecraft meeting up with a Kuiper Belt object. The Sun is more than 4.1 billion miles (6.7 billion kilometers) away. Jupiter and Neptune are visible as orange and blue stars to the right of the Sun. Though KBOs would not be so visible at any one moment, they're shown here to illustrate the extensive disk of icy worlds beyond Neptune.

NASA's Speediest Probe Gains on Far-Out Pluto

Credit: SwRI (Dan Durda)/JHUAPL(Ken Moscati)

An artist's rendering of the New Horizon spacecraft.

New Horizons Launch

Credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

On Jan. 19, 2006, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, bound for a flyby of Pluto to occur on July 14, 2015.

New Horizons Pluto Probe Readied For Launch

Credit: Dan Durda

To be dispatched early 2006, the outward bound New Horizons spacecraft will throw new light on distant Pluto and its moon, Charon, as well as Kuiper Belt objects. Image

Reaching for Pluto: NASA Launches Probe to Solar System's Edge

Credit: NASA.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft launches into space on a mission to the planet Pluto and beyond on Jan. 19, 2006.

Launch of NASA's Pluto Probe Delayed for 24 Hours

Credit: NASA TV.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, tucked snugly atop its Atlas 5 rocket, was unable to launch on Jan. 17, 2006 due to high winds at its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site.

NASA's Pluto Probe Set for Flight

Credit: NASA/KSC

NASA’s New Horizons probe sits atop its Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Rocket Checks Prompt Launch Delay for NASA's Pluto Probe

Credit: NASA/KSC.

NASA's New Horizons Pluto probe is prepared to be encased in its launch fairing at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA's Pluto Probe Arrives at Spaceport

Credit: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

New Horizons has undergone extensive testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight center and arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Hurricane Damage Prompts Booster Replacement for NASA's Pluto Probe

Credit: NASA/KSC.

The Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft is moved toward a work stand (behind it) for a checkout at NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

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Target: Pluto

NASA's New Horizons probe has visited a place never before visited by a robotic probe from Earth: Pluto. In July 2015, the spacecraft completed a nearly-decade-long journey to fly by Pluto, and reveal humanity's first close-up look at the distant dwarf planet. See photos and images from the New Horizons mission to Pluto in this gallery.

Charon Seen by 'Plutoshine'

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This image by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft shows the night side of Pluto’s biggest moon, Charon, against a star field, lit by faint reflected light from Pluto itself. The bright crescent on Charon's right side is a sliver of sunlit terrain; it is overexposed. New Horizons was about 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) beyond Pluto when it took the image on July 15, 2015.

Global Color Map of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This new, detailed global color map of Pluto is based on a series of three color filter images obtained by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera aboard New Horizons during the NASA spacecraft’s close flyby of Pluto in July 2015.

Halos on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Strange "haloed" craters can be seen on Pluto in these images of the dwarf planet from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. Read the Full Story.

Methane Snow on Pluto's Mountains

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

View of part of Pluto’s dark Cthulu region, captured by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015. The inset at left shows bright material coating the tops of Cthulu’s reddish mountains; the inset at right shows the distribution of methane ice in the area (light purple).

False-color Image of Pluto

See photos and images from the New Horizons mission to Pluto in this gallery.

Sputnik Planum Western Region

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This snapshot captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft shows the western region of the heart-shaped area informally known as Sputnik Planum, which has been found to be rich in nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane ices. The image combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC).

Sputnik Planum on Pluto and Vulcan Planum on Charon

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The informally named Sputnik Planum on Pluto (top) and the informally named Vulcan Planum on Pluto's largest moon Charon (bottom).

Haze Above Pluto's Surface

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI/Gladstone et al./Science (2016)

Layers of atmospheric haze above Pluto's surface are captured in this haunting image taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

Pluto's North Pole Canyons

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The frozen canyons of Pluto's north pole are represented in enhanced colors in this image taken from the New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015. The surrounding terrain shows higher elevations in yellow and lower elevations in shades of blue-gray.

Pluto's North Pole Canyons Annotated

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Pluto's north pole canyons annotated.

Pluto Four Moons Closeup

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

These close views of Pluto's four smaller moons were captured by NASA's New Horizons probe during its historic July 2015 flyby. Data from New Horizons suggests that at least two (and maybe even all four) were born from mergers of even smaller moons.

Pluto Crater Counts

By counting craters across Pluto, scientists determined that some regions of the dwarf planet are as young as 10 million years old while others are nearly as old as the 4.5-billion-year-old solar system.

Back-lit, Blue-skied Pluto

Credit: NASA/New Horizons Team

Back-lit, blue-skied Pluto is still a planet in the heart, though not in official registers.

Snakeskin Ridges on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

Snakeskin ridges on Pluto may have been shaped by surface winds, one way Pluto's atmosphere could have contributed to the dwarf planet's unusual features.

Sunset View of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, capturing this near-sunset view of the dwarf planet’s icy mountains and flat ice plains. The image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) from Pluto; the scene is 780 miles (1,250 km) wide.

New Horizons' Zoomed-in Sunset View of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

A zoomed-in view of a photo NASA’s New Horizons probe took on July 14, 2015, when it was just 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) from Pluto. The near-sunset scene, which is 230 miles (380 km) across, shows rugged ice mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high and wide, flat plains.

Fog on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The setting sun illuminates fog or near-surface haze on Pluto in this small section of an image taken by NASA’s New Horizons probe on July 14, 2015, when it was 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) from the dwarf planet. The image covers a stretch of land 115 miles (185 km) wide.

Vast Ice Plains in Pluto's Heart

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This image, a composite of several photos taken by NASA’s New Horizons probe, shows a vast Pluto ice plain called Sputnik Planum. The box shows the location of other detailed glacier images.

Flowing Ice on Pluto's Plains

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This New Horizons image shows how ice (probably frozen nitrogen) is flowing from Pluto’s mountains through valleys (outlined by red arrows) onto the plains known as Sputnik Planum; the “flow front” there is outlined by blue arrows in this photo, which covers an area 390 miles (630-kilometer) wide.

Flowing Ice on Pluto's Plains (2)

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

A backlit, oblique view of a New Horizons image showing how ice (probably frozen nitrogen) is flowing from Pluto’s mountains through valleys (outlined by red arrows) onto the plains known as Sputnik Planum; the “flow front” there is outlined by blue arrows in this photo, which covers an area 390 miles (630-kilometer) wide.

Perpective View of Pluto

A perspective view of Pluto, based on the latest high-resolution images downlinked from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, gives the impression of looking down from a height of approximately 1,100 miles (1,800 km) above Pluto. Image released Sept. 10, 2015.

Mosaic of Sputnik Planum on Pluto

This mosaic, made of high-resolution images of Pluto sent back from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft from Sept. 5 to 7, 2015, shows the icy plain Sputnik Planum (informal name), the bright region across the center.

Informal Names for Features on Pluto’s Sputnik Planum

Image showing the informal names being used by the New Horizons team for features on the icy Pluto plains known as Sputnik Planum. These monikers have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Informal Names for Features on Pluto’s Moon Charon

Image showing the provisional names being used by the New Horizons team for features on Pluto’s largest moon, Charon. These monikers have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Global Map of Pluto (Without Grid)

The science team of NASA’s New Horizons mission produced an updated global map of dwarf planet Pluto. Image released July 27, 2015.

Global Mosaic of Pluto Shown in True Color

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) combine with color data from the Ralph instrument to create this sharper global view of Pluto. The spacecraft obtained the images at a distance of 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers). Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto's Flowing Ices

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

New Horizons space probe discovered flowing ices in Pluto’s heart-shaped feature, as shown by the swirling patterns. Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto's Hazy Atmosphere

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

Pluto’s atmosphere around the planet in this image taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 15, 2015, from a distance of about 1.25 million miles (2 million kilometers). Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto and Charon Shown in Natural Color

Credit: NASA/JUAPL/SwRI

Pluto and Charon appear in a composite of natural-color images obtained by New Horizons space probe on July 13 and 14, 2015. Image released July 24, 2015.

Pluto in False Color

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This view of Pluto and its icy heart is actually a false color image that combines color data and image data from two different instruments to create a view that highlights the subtle differences in terrain on the dwarf planet. This image was released on July 23, 2015. Read the full story here.

Frozen Plains of Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

NASA's New Horizons space probe obtained this image of the frozen plains of Pluto, released during a press briefing held on July 17, 2015, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. [See our complete coverage.]

Sputnik Planum and Norgay Montes on Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

NASA's New Horizons space probe obtained this image of the Sputnik Planum and Norgay Montes regions of Pluto, released during a press briefing held on July 17, 2015, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. [See our complete coverage.]

Pluto Moons Nix and Hydra, Seen by New Horizons

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

NASA’s New Horizons probe captured these images of the Pluto moons Nix (left) and Hydra (right) on July 14, 2015. The Nix photo was taken from a distance of 102,000 miles (165,000 kilometers), while the Hydra image was snapped from 143,000 miles (231,000 km) away.

First Well-Resolved Image of Nix

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

NASA's New Horizons space probe obtained the first well-resolved image of Nix, Pluto's moon, released during a press briefing held on July 17, 2015, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. [See our complete coverage.]

Frozen Carbon Monoxide on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

New Horizons’ Ralph instrument revealed evidence of carbon monoxide ice on Pluto, in the western part of the region known presently as Tombaugh Regio (Tombaugh Region), the highly visible "heart of Pluto." The contours overlain on the image show that the concentration of frozen carbon monoxide increases towards the center of the “bull’s eye.” The data was acquired by the spacecraft on July 14, 2015, and transmitted to Earth on July 16. [See our complete coverage.]

Pluto's Escaping Atmosphere

Credit: NASA/APL/SwRI

This diagram depicts the interaction of the solar wind (the supersonic outflow of electrically charged particles from the sun) with Pluto’s mainly nitrogen atmosphere. Some of the atmosphere's molecules possess enough energy to overcome Pluto’s weak gravity and escape into space. Image released July 17, 2015. [See our complete coverage.]

Charon Close-Up, July 16, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SwR

NASA's New Horizons space probe found a strange feature on Pluto's moon, Charon, a depression with a peak in the middle. The image was taken on July 14, 2015 at a range of 49,000 miles (79,000 km). [Read full story.]

New Horizons Closest View of Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

New Horizons space probe provides the highest resolution image of Pluto ever seen as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. This region near Pluto’s equator surprisingly contains a range of youthful mountains rising to heights of 11,000 feet (3,500 m) above the surface. [See a video of the flyby.]

New Horizons Close View of Charon

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

New Horizons provides unprecedented details of Pluto's moon, Charon, as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. [See a video of the flyby.]

Methane on Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

New Horizons' Ralph instrument using the LEISA spectrometer obtained information about the distribution of methane on Pluto, as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. [See a video of the flyby.]

Hydra Revealed

Credit: NASA TV

For the first time, New Horizons revealed the shape and size of Pluto's moon, Hydra, as presented in a NASA press conference on July 15, 2015, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. [See a video of the flyby.]

Artist's Concept of New Horizons at Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHU APL/SwRI/Steve Gribben

An artist's illustration of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto. Pluto's largest moon, Charon, hovers in the background.

July 13, 2015, New Horizons Image of Pluto

Credit: NASA/APL/SwRI

The New Horizons probe captured a sneak peak of gorgeous Pluto! According to the New Horizons social media team, this is the last and most detailed image of Pluto sent to Earth before the moment of closest approach - 7:49 a.m. EDT on July 14. Read the Full Story.

New Horizons Flight Controllers Celebrate

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Flight controllers of New Horizons space probe react with jubilation after receiving confirmation that it had completed the historic flyby of Pluto successfully on July 14, 2015,

New Horizons Pluto Flyby Success Confirmed

Credit: NASA TV

New Horizons mission operations manager Alice Bowman (right) announces that the spacecraft survived its epic Pluto flyby on July 14, 2015, and is in good shape.

PLUTO: NOTYET EXPLORED

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern (left) and other researchers hold a print of a "corrected" U.S. stamp at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. The New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto, July 14, 2015.

New Horizons Closest Approach to Pluto

Credit: NASA TV

At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, over 1000 people gathered for New Horizons' historic flyby of Pluto on July 14, 2015. Principal Investigator Alan Stern faces the camera just left of center (partially obscured).

Stern Interviewed Following New Horizons Pluto Flyby

Credit: NASA TV

At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern (center) is interviewed only moments after the Pluto probe made its historic flyby of the mysterious planet on July 14, 2015.

New Horizons Press Conference

Credit: NASA TV

At the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, a press conference was held after the New Horizons Pluto probe made its historic flyby on July 14, 2015.

Pluto Seen by New Horizons, July 11, 2015 (Annotated)

Annotated version of the Pluto photo taken by New Horizons on July 11, 2015, showing linear features that may be cliffs, as well as a large circular feature that could be an impact crater.

Pluto and Charon compared to Earth

Credit: NASA

Graphic showing how Pluto and Charon would appear if placed slightly above Earth's surface and viewed from a great distance. Recent measurements by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft reveal indicate that Pluto has a diameter of 2370 kilometers, 18.5 percent that of Earth, while Charon has a diameter of 1208 km, 9.5 percent that of Earth.

Charon's Craters and Chasms

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

This photo of Charon, taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 11, 2015, highlights the big Pluto moon’s intriguing dark polar cap and shows probable craters and canyons as well.

New Horizons Spacecraft Flying by Pluto

An artist's depiction of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flying by Pluto. A fleet of NASA probes across the solar system will track the encounter on July 14, 2015.

Pluto and Charon in Color, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

This image of Pluto (right) and Charon, taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 8, 2015, combines a view captured by the probe’s long-range camera with color information obtained earlier in the mission from the Ralph instrument.

Heart-Shaped Area on Pluto

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New Horizons took this image on July 7, 2015, at a distance of just under 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) from Pluto. A large heart-shaped bright area appears at right. [Read full story.]

Pluto and Charon, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New Horizons captured Pluto and Charon from a distance of about 3.7 million miles (6 million kilometers) on July 8, 2015.

Pluto, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) captured Pluto on July 8, 2015. The bright edge below the dark “whale” is real, not the result of image processing.

Charon, July 8, 2015

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

This image of Charon was obtained by New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 8, 2015.

Color Image of Pluto by New Horizons

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

The image shows Pluto in color, obtained by New Horizons spacecraft on July 3, 2015, using color data gathered earlier. [Read the full story.]

Map of Pluto

Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SWRI

This map of Pluto was created from images taken from June 27 – July 3, 2015, by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons spacecraft, incorporating lower-resolution color data from the spacecraft’s Ralph instrument. [Read full story.]

Surface Features Emerging on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI

Pluto and its largest moon Charon, as photographed by New Horizons on July 1, 2015. The inset shows Pluto enlarged; features as small as 100 miles (160 kilometers) across are visible.

Styx's Tommy Shaw and Styx Moon

New Horizons Mssion Team and Styx

Styx poses with members of the New Horizons mission team, who greeted the band at the Kossiakoff Center Auditorium, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, in Laurel, Maryland.

Styx Band Members and Showalter

Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Styx band members share laughs with the scientist who discovered Styx, a moon of Pluto. Left to right: Lawrence Gowan, Tommy Shaw, New Horizons' Mark Showalter, and Todd Sucherman

Styx and Stern

Credit: Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Styx and Stern: Styx band members are intrigued by the latest images of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons. Left to right: Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, Tommy Shaw, New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern.

Pluto and Charon on Jan. 25, 2015

Pluto and Charon, the largest of Pluto's five known moons, were seen Jan. 25, 2015, by the telescopic Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

Pluto and Charon in Color

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Southwest Research Institute

This color view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, was captured by NASA's approaching New Horizons spacecraft. The image is a still from a six-frame movie composed of photos New Horizons took between June 23 and June 29, 2015.

Mysterious Dark Spots on Pluto

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

New Horizons scientists are puzzled by a series of evenly space dark splotches the spacecraft has spotted on Pluto.

Pluto's Mysterious Dark Spots

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

New color images from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft show two very different faces of Pluto, one with a series of mysterious evenly spaced dark spots along the equator.

Pluto's Moons: Hazard Search Images

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

These images show the difference between two sets of 48 combined 10-second exposures with New Horizons' long-range camera, taken at on June 26, 2015, from a range of 21.5 million kilometers to Pluto. The known small moons, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx, are visible as adjacent bright and dark pairs of dots, due to their motion in the 105 minutes between the two image sets.

New Horizons' Image of Pluto Deconvolved

This view of Pluto, taken by NASA's New Horizons probe in late May 2015, begins to reveal surface details in the dwarf planet. Read the Full Story

Pluto's Moons: Size and Brightness

Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Field (STScI)

This illustration shows the scale and comparative brightness of Pluto’s four tiny moons, as observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope from 2005 through 2012. Pluto’s binary companion, Charon (discovered in 1978) is placed at the bottom for scale. The textures seen here are purely for illustration purposes.

Surface of Pluto

Credit: NASA/Southwest Research Institute/Alex Parker

This artist's impression depicts Pluto's surface. The sun appears roughly 1,000 times fainter than it does on to us on Earth. Pluto's moon Charon hangs in the sky. Image released June 8, 2015.

Full Portrait of Pluto and Charon

The full portrait of Pluto and and its largest moon Charon, taken by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) instrument on board New Horizons, and released on June 29.

Pluto’s Moon Nix Chaotic Spin

Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Inst.), G. Bacon (STScI)

These illustrations of Pluto’s moon Nix show how the orientation of the moon changes unpredictably while it orbits the Pluto-Charon system.

#DearPluto by Parker

Credit: Janet's Planet/#DearPluto

A "Dear Pluto" letter submitted by a child named Parker.

New Horizons LORRI Images of Pluto April 15 and May 10, 2015

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

This image taken on May 10, 2015, shows Pluto in the latest series of New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photos, compared to a LORRI image taken on April 15.

New Horizons Captures all 5 of Pluto's Known Moons

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft captured these views of Pluto and its moons on April 25, 2015.

New Horizons LORRI Images of Pluto April 12 and May 8, 2015

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

This image taken on May 8, 2015, shows Pluto in the latest series of New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photos, compared to a LORRI image taken on April 12.

New Horizons LORRI Images of Pluto April 16 and May 12, 2015

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

This image taken on May 12, 2015, shows Pluto in the latest series of New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photos, compared to a LORRI image taken on April 16.

Pluto and Charon Captured by New Horizons Probe

Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft snapped this photo of Pluto (center) and its largest moon Charon on April 15, 2015. The image, which hints at surface features, is one of several views captured over several days from a range of between 69 million miles (111 million kilometers) to 64 million miles (103 million km).

Pluto and Charon Seen by New Horizons

New Horizons LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) composite image showing the detection of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, cleanly separated from Pluto itself. The frame on the left is an average of six different LORRI images, each taken with an exposure time of 0.1 second. The frame to the right is the same composite image but with Pluto and Charon circled; Pluto is the brighter object near the center and Charon is the fainter object near its 11 o’clock position. Images released July 10, 2013. [Read the Full Story]

Pluto-bound Spacecraft Spots Its Target

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI.

A white arrow marks Pluto in this New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) picture taken Sept. 21, 2006, marking the spacecraft's first look at its target planet.

New Horizons Passing Uranus

Credit: NASA, JHU/APL

An overhead view of the New Horizons spacecraft's path across Uranus' orbit.

Best Color Image of Jupiter's Little Red Spot

This amazing color portrait of Jupiter’s “Little Red Spot” (LRS) combines high-resolution images from the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken at 03:12 UT on February 27, 2007, with color images taken nearly simultaneously by the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Proposed New Horizons Stamp

Credit: NASA/SWRI/Dan Durda

Artist Dan Durda's concept for a U.S. postage stamp honoring the New Horizons mission to Pluto. The probe's team has launched an online petition to make the stamp a reality

NASA's New Horizons Spacecraft Sees Jupiter and Io

Credit: NASA/JHU/APL.

NASA's New Horizons snapped this view of Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io in early January 2007.

Jupiter's Moons: Family Portrait

This montage shows the best views of Jupiter's four large and diverse "Galilean" satellites as seen by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on the New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby of Jupiter in late February 2007. The image was released in May 1, 2007.

Io in Eclipse 2

This image of Io eclipsed by Jupiter's shadow is a combination of several images taken by the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) about 28 hours after the spacecraft's closest approach to Jupiter. The image was released on May 1, 2007.

Pluto-bound Probe Snaps Photo of Jupiter

The first picture of the Jupiter from the New Horizon spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken Sept. 4, 2006, is a tantalizing promise of what's to come when New Horizons flies through the Jupiter system early next year.

Pluto-bound Probe Snaps First Photo

On Aug. 29, 2006, the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) opened its launch cover door and took its first image in space, of Messier 7, a star cluster in our Milky Way galaxy. The image shows the center of Messier 7, which was catalogued by Charles Messier in 1764, and described by Ptolemy around 130 A.D. Stars to at least 12th magnitude are clearly visible, meaning LORRI's sensitivity and noise levels in space are consistent with its pre-launch calibrations on the ground. Directionally, north is at the top of the images, east is to the left.

New Horizons: Outbound For Jupiter Flyby

KBO: Artist's impression of the New Horizons spacecraft meeting up with a Kuiper Belt object. The Sun is more than 4.1 billion miles (6.7 billion kilometers) away. Jupiter and Neptune are visible as orange and blue stars to the right of the Sun. Though KBOs would not be so visible at any one moment, they're shown here to illustrate the extensive disk of icy worlds beyond Neptune.

NASA's Speediest Probe Gains on Far-Out Pluto

Credit: SwRI (Dan Durda)/JHUAPL(Ken Moscati)

An artist's rendering of the New Horizon spacecraft.

New Horizons Launch

Credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley

On Jan. 19, 2006, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, bound for a flyby of Pluto to occur on July 14, 2015.

New Horizons Pluto Probe Readied For Launch

Credit: Dan Durda

To be dispatched early 2006, the outward bound New Horizons spacecraft will throw new light on distant Pluto and its moon, Charon, as well as Kuiper Belt objects. Image

Reaching for Pluto: NASA Launches Probe to Solar System's Edge

Credit: NASA.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft launches into space on a mission to the planet Pluto and beyond on Jan. 19, 2006.

Launch of NASA's Pluto Probe Delayed for 24 Hours

Credit: NASA TV.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, tucked snugly atop its Atlas 5 rocket, was unable to launch on Jan. 17, 2006 due to high winds at its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site.

NASA's Pluto Probe Set for Flight

Credit: NASA/KSC

NASA’s New Horizons probe sits atop its Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Rocket Checks Prompt Launch Delay for NASA's Pluto Probe

Credit: NASA/KSC.

NASA's New Horizons Pluto probe is prepared to be encased in its launch fairing at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA's Pluto Probe Arrives at Spaceport

Credit: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

New Horizons has undergone extensive testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight center and arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Hurricane Damage Prompts Booster Replacement for NASA's Pluto Probe

Credit: NASA/KSC.

The Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft is moved toward a work stand (behind it) for a checkout at NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.